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Tag: 2022 Conservative Party Conference

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    Thank you Conference,

    It is an honour to be here as the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport working with such a fantastic team of ministers and back in Birmingham which this year became the second biggest tech city in the UK outside London. It is also a city that encapsulates every aspect of what I will deliver. Whether it is promoting British sporting excellence on the world stage by hosting the Commonwealth Games or helping to fuel our tech industry in the West Midlands, where an extra 52,000 new tech jobs will exist by 2025.This success is being seen across the country and will be turbo charged under the boldest Conservative government we have seen for a generation.

    And I will be ensuring my department is at the heart of this as a true engine of growth in the UK. And while the areas we cover at DCMS may seem at opposite ends of the policy spectrum, actually, my priorities in all of these areas boil down to a few common sense goals. In everything we do, I want us to create, connect and protect. Create more highly paid tech, digital and creative jobs that will provide genuine opportunities for you and your children – this will be the beating heart of our mission to grow the economy. I will also work to connect communities up and down the country to better deliver broadband, phone signal and 5G. It is fundamentally wrong that in today’s age people living in rural homes can still struggle to get a phone signal to call their loved ones, this is going to change.

    And finally, I will protect our children, our values and our history. That is why I am coming forward with strong, common sense, conservative, solutions that deliver on these priorities.

    And at the heart of everything I do, making people’s lives better by driving up economic growth will be my priority. But to create jobs, connect communities and protect British values, we have to be unashamedly conservative.

    As the Prime Minister has said from day one, we are the party that understands the need to grow the economic pie rather than simply slicing it up into thinner pieces. Where Labour are busy squabbling over how to divide wealth, we, the Conservatives, are getting on with the job of creating wealth.

    This includes creating more wealth and prosperity through our tech, digital, cyber, creative, cultural and arts sectors.

    But there remains a significant amount of red tape in our way, red tape that, as a newly independent nation free of EU bureaucracy, we can tailor to fit our country’s needs. One example of this is on data.

    We inherited GDPR from the EU, and its bureaucratic nature is still limiting the potential of our businesses. So much so that researchers at Oxford University estimated that it has directly caused businesses to lose over 8% of their profits. In a survey by my Department, 50% of businesses told us that the EU’s mainly one-size-fits-all GDPR scheme, had led to excessive caution amongst staff in the handling of data. We’ve even had churches write to the department, pleading for us to do something, so that they can send newsletters out to their communities without worrying about breaching data rules.

    Many of these smaller organisations and businesses only employ a few people each. They don’t have the resources or money to navigate the regulatory minefield that GDPR puts in their way. And yet right now, in the main, they’re forced to follow the same one-size-fits-all approach as a multinational corporation. That’s just not right, and it is certainly not conservative.

    That is why today Conference, I am announcing that we will be replacing GDPR with our own business and consumer-friendly, British data protection system. Our plan will protect consumer privacy and keep their data safe, whilst retaining our data adequacy so businesses can trade freely. And I can promise you here today, Conference, that it will be simpler and clearer for businesses to navigate.

    No longer will our businesses be shackled by unnecessary red tape. At the moment, even though we have shortages of electricians and plumbers, GDPR ties them in knots with clunky bureaucracy. In its place, we will co-design with business a new system of data protection. We will look to those countries who achieve data adequacy without having GDPR, like Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand.

    Our new data protection plan will focus on growth and common sense, helping to prevent losses from cyber attacks and data breaches, while protecting data privacy. This will allow us to reduce the needless regulations and business-stifling elements, while taking the best bits from others around the world to form a truly bespoke, British system of data protection.

    Let me be clear, Conference, this is not another wave of legislation on business. Businesses won’t have to wrap their heads around complicated legislation – this is about simplification. In fact, it is this government seizing the opportunity to support our job creators. And I will be involving them right from the start in the design of a tailored, business-friendly British system of data protection. One that, protects the consumer, protects data adequacy and increases the trade that good data protection enables, whilst increasing productivity and also avoids the pitfalls of a one-size-fits-all system. It is time we seize this post Brexit opportunity fully, and unleash the full growth potential of British business. We can be the bridge across the Atlantic and operate as the world’s data hub.

    But Conference as you know, there is so much more to DCMS. As someone who is passionate about grassroots sport, especially having seen the impact that Chippenham Town and Melksham Town Football Clubs have had on my local community, I could not be happier to be the Secretary of State in charge of sport at a time where British sporting excellence is all around us. Our heroic Lionesses inspired millions of young girls and football fans this Summer, kicking off a new era in women’s football. The world also watched in awe as the Commonwealth Games took the nation by storm, exhibiting the very best of British talent and culture.

    What’s more, this Conservative Government didn’t just deliver the games on time and on budget, but delivered it on time and under budget – over 60 million under in fact. And today, I am delighted to announce that we are going to invest that money to really cement the legacy of the games – right back here in the West Midlands. Investing in pro-growth legacy projects for the people of the West Midlands, working with our driven, passionate, delivery machine for the West Midlands.

    So, while Labour try to choke growth in the West Midlands by backing crippling rail strikes, we are getting on with the job of injecting investment and producing growth not just here but around the country.

    This is also a Government that is connecting a new household to full fibre broadband every 7 seconds. And rolling out good broadband and 5G has the potential to revolutionise our country’s economy, accelerating growth, jobs and improving the quality of life for millions of people.

    For some people, better broadband and 5G will mean they are finally able to access streaming services on a stable connection in their home. For others, it might mean that they can get access to 5G connected mobile health scanners, bringing next generation healthcare to their local town. Or for farmers, it could enable them to use live sensors to detect in real time, about the fertilisation and moisture needed for their crops. The possibilities are endless, and the benefits extend far beyond simply loading up web pages faster. That’s why I will soon be announcing a package of measures in Parliament, that will make it easier for us to rollout fast broadband across the country, and that will massively accelerate progress.

    There are also huge opportunities for our growth agenda with the cultural, arts and creative industries including media and we want to continue this trend, ensuring that we accelerate it with the right skills – and let me take this opportunity to thank the BBC and all broadcasters for the excellent coverage and tribute they gave to Her late Majesty the Queen.

    Another area of growth is tourism, which we are also boosting, by re-introducing VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors. And we will replace the old paper-based system with a modern, digital system that will come into place very soon.

    The final part of my plan for DCMS is built on the soundly conservative principles of protecting the things that we love rather than tearing them down.

    As a former Children and Families Minister, I know first-hand that there is no greater duty than protecting our children, especially as they browse online. Our party, is founded on the principle that stronger families mean a stronger country, and a basic building block of a strong family is ensuring the safety of children.

    For too long, have social media giants been chipping away at children’s innocence by feeding them dangerous content contrary to their own terms and conditions. Which has led to devasting tragedies.

    Last week the inquest into the death of Molly Russell further highlighted the horrific failure of social media platforms to put the welfare of children first. We owe it, to Ian Russell and all of Molly’s family to do everything in our power to stop this happening again. Our online safety bill must be the answer and I will make sure that the bill’s key objective is ensuring social media firms protect children and young people. Conference, I can confirm that the bill will be returning to Parliament – and my dedicated ministerial team and I are working flat out to ensure the bill is delivered and we are strengthening the protections in place for children.

    But rest assured Conference that I am making changes to the Bill in relation to freedom of speech for adults. I am the Minister who brought forward the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Bill and so I know just how vital it is that we get this right and ensure that our rights to freedom of expression and free speech are protected. And there needs to be more accountability and transparency for users, so I will be bringing forward measures in the Bill to ensure that this is the case.

    Free speech underpins our British democracy – we are in fact a country with a long history of supporting and exporting free speech ideas. In many ways, Britain is the home of free speech. It is the beating heart on which all of our other freedoms rest. But – let’s remember, protecting children online and protecting free speech for adults do not need to be at odds with one another. As you can see fairness, honesty and common sense are the values that I rely on to tackle the big issues.

    I am an evidence-based politician and over the coming months you will see that I am not afraid to make tough decisions, and will stick to our conservative principles to make people’s lives better and fairer.

    Because, we are the party that delivers high paid jobs in tech and digital so that our economy grows. We are the party that connects our country to fast broadband and 5G so that families and businesses can prosper. And we are the party that protects British culture and institutions with common sense values. This bold Conservative Government is going to accelerate our delivery and stand true to our principles.

    Thank you, Conference.

  • Ranil Jayawardena – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Ranil Jayawardena – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Ranil Jayawardena, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    I am delighted to be standing before you today, as your Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    And it is a great privilege to serve you in this role because I was raised in a rural county, the county that my family and I still live in, the fine county of Hampshire, the north east of which I represent today.

    It was when I was at Hook Infant School that I learnt how soap used to be made and began to speak up against whaling, which loopholes sadly still allow today.

    It was at Hook Junior School that I championed recycling, before separate kerbside collections existed, and everything was going to landfill.

    Like our Prime Minister, I am proud to say I was an environmentalist before it was fashionable.

    Having grown up in North East Hampshire, I understand the issues faced by those in rural communities too.

    I will be a champion for people who live in the countryside the length and breadth of our nation.

    And I look forward to visiting to farms, businesses and charities across the country, including PDM Produce in Shropshire where I was yesterday, and Mondelez in Bourneville, who I will be visiting on Wednesday.

    Thanks to everyone who has given me such a warm welcome already, here in Birmingham and across the West Midlands, even if the same can’t be said for Twitter.

    There is much to do.

    And I have been put here by the Prime Minister to deliver.

    At DEFRA, we’re all about EFG.

    The Environment.

    Food.

    And Growth.

    I am delighted to have a great team who are already getting on with the job –

    Trudy Harrison as your Minister for the Environment;

    Mark Spencer as your Minister for Food;

    and Scott Mann as your Minister for Growth;

    all ably supported by Lord Benyon as Minister for International Nature and Biosecurity,

    and Lord Harlech, Darren Henry, Laura Farris and Antony Higginbotham in the Whips Offices and as my Parliamentary Private Secretaries.

    And as we all get on with the job, top of the list – key to unlocking everything else we want – is growing our economy.

    Though our opponents would like to pretend otherwise, a strong, healthy environment and a strong, healthy economy are not incompatible.

    In fact, they are perfect partners.

    A strong environment and a strong economy is how we deliver in a Conservative way.

    That’s why I can assure you all today that my Department should no longer be seen as one that follows the EU, imposes rules and impedes innovation.

    Instead of being a regulatory department, we are now an economic growth department.

    Food and drink is our largest manufacturing sector.

    It is bigger than automotive and aerospace put together, with a presence in every constituency in this country.

    The opportunity for growth in the sector is enormous – and it will bring jobs, skills and prosperity across the nation.

    More than ever, we know the importance of food security – it is crucial for our national resilience and we must boost it further still.

    British food and British farming are the best in the world – premium products that should not just be enjoyed at home – rather they should be championed around the world.

    Here at home, we should be able to buy British with confidence and pride.

    But, to do that, we need to tighten up our labelling.

    We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

    Shoppers vote with their feet and choose to buy British for just that reason.

    And yet, did you know that Danish pork processed in Britain can be sold as British?

    But we don’t have to bow the knee to every bureaucratic Bonaparte in Brussels anymore.

    Haven’t we taken back control?

    That’s why we will be working with supermarkets and producers to improve the data they collect on where our food comes from – and we will launch new British labelling, so that the people of our great nation can have confidence that anything labelled as British IS British.

    And this has an extra Brexit bonus.

    Instead of keeping the world’s best food and drink a secret, we will sell more of it around the globe,

    with the Union Flag symbolising once again the quality that people around the world want to buy.

    Whilst at the Department for International Trade, the Prime Minister and I were determined to open new markets and we succeeded.

    British beef is back in America…

    … we are selling chicken to Mongolia.

    We are shipping Scottish salmon to Saudi Arabia…

    And our friends in Canada are enjoying Scotch Whisky too…

    This is just the beginning.

    Like the Prime Minister when she was Environment Secretary,

    in a fortnight, I will be in Paris at the world’s largest food fair…

    … bigging up British products.

    I will be working closely with my friends at Trade…

    … to make sure we are capitalising on every export opportunity for our premium produce to the world…

    … at the premium prices our farmers, fishermen and food producers deserve.

    We have huge opportunities – lamb to the Gulf, dairy to the Far East, the list goes on.

    The opportunity isn’t just demand-led though.

    Supply-side reforms are crucial.

    Now that we have left the EU, I am delighted to tell you that we are going to free our farmers, and we are listening to all sides for new ideas to get Britain growing, such as the review undertaken by Baroness Rock to back our tenant farmers.

    Unlike the Labour Party, we trust our farmers, so we will cut through the red tape that has held back our farms for too long.

    We announced in our growth plan that we would review farming regulations but – contrary to what you might have read in some corners of the media – we remain committed to our environmental schemes that support our farmers as they look after our countryside.

    Some rules in the past didn’t do what they set out to. The three-crop rule and greening requirements are already gone and we will be announcing more in the coming weeks.

    I bulldozed 400 trade barriers in my time at Trade and I will continue to get things done.

    We must look to the future too.

    We will use our new grant schemes to support farmers and food producers to invest in the technology that will boost their productivity and profitability.

    The technological advancements being made in the agricultural and horticultural sectors are astounding,

    producing more food whilst using fewer resources, including water.

    And using less water is vital.

    It’s been a long, hot summer.

    With crop failure being a very real worry, we need a little rain.

    And when the rain comes, we need our flood defences to be strong, to protect life and property, and we need our watercourses and beaches to be safe and sewage-free.

    I believe in private enterprise.

    We all do.

    It’s business that creates jobs, secures our prosperity and pays for public services.

    Private enterprise is intrinsic to our Conservative DNA.

    And yet

    we all know that government must step in if there is market failure.

    Our water companies have a lot to answer for.

    Too much water is wasted through leaks each year when we should be conserving it, and, in 2022,

    we still find sewage in our rivers

    and on our beaches.

    That is not on.

    On my first day in office, I met Water Company bosses to give them their report card.

    They caused 62 serious pollution incidents in 2021.

    I’ll be polite: could do better.

    I asked them to write to me with their plans to accelerate investment in infrastructure.

    They did –

    and now they must deliver.

    Privatisation has put in £170billion of investment into our water infrastructure already,

    and the private sector will now put in another £56billion more.

    And, if they don’t deliver, there will be consequences.

    I can confirm to you today that I will be taking forward plans to lift the Environment Agency’s maximum civil fine for each individual breach of the rules from up to just 250,000 pounds, to up to 250 million.

    This doesn’t only affect families going to our beautiful British lakes, rivers and beaches in the summer,

    or surfers braving the cold winter swells.

    It has repercussions for our environment,

    at a time when our biodiversity is seriously under threat.

    Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history.

    We rely on nature to provide us with food, water and clean air,

    and biodiversity is crucial to enabling nature to be productive and resilient.

    More than half of global GDP is estimated to be dependent on biodiversity and nature.

    That’s over £40 trillion.

    When I was first elected, I founded the All Party Parliamentary Group on Endangered Species.

    I believe in halting the decline.

    Except, I should say, my friends, for the decline of the lesser but still too often spotted: the so-called Liberal Democrat.

    That’s a species I would be happy to see remain on the endangered list.

    I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, my friends.

    Like you, I have fought the Lib Dems and the Socialists in communities across the country –

    as an Association Officer,

    as a Councillor,

    and as a Member of Parliament.

    And, in this brief,

    at DEFRA,

    I will work day and night to preserve our green and pleasant land.

    Our rural landscapes – the clouded hills, the mountains green – are precious to all of
    us, and we have a duty to our children and our children’s children to protect them.

    I will honour that duty and I will not let leftists who seek to divide us undermine that
    collective responsibility we all share to protect our environment.

    It is this Conservative Government that has put in place world leading targets to halt the decline in nature by 2030, with particular thanks to the hard work of my immediate predecessors, George Eustice and Theresa Villiers.

    This is a challenge, and one that requires action by many to be achieved.

    But achieve it we must, for it is critical to the growth we want to see, the Conservative environmentalism we believe in.

    We are going for growth, where a strong, healthy environment, is part of a strong, healthy economy.

    This is a huge task.

    There is much to do.

    And we are determined to deliver.

  • Kwasi Kwarteng – 2022 Speech to the Conservative Party Conference

    Kwasi Kwarteng – 2022 Speech to the Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Kwasi Kwarteng, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    Thank you, conference.

    What a day!

    It has been tough, but we need to focus on the job in hand.

    We need to move forward.

    No more distractions. We have a plan, and we need to get on and deliver it.

    That’s what the public expect from their government.

    But first conference, welcome back to Birmingham.

    This is a remarkable city.

    It has a history of great brilliance

    Joseph Chamberlain in the nineteenth century was an extraordinary civic leader who led Birmingham and the world through the industrial revolution.

    And today Andy Street is following in that great tradition.

    Grafts and grit turned this small town first into a thriving industrial market.

    Then into one of the centres of the industrial revolution…

    Which powered and grew not just the British economy,

    But provided the new technologies that changed the world forever.

    The Industrial Revolution was one of the most monumental transformations in human history.

    And it began here.

    With determination and application

    Those Britons built a thriving economy.

    They inspire me today.

    They remind us that in Britain, with the British people, absolutely anything is possible.

    Our Plan today focuses on the same, bold sentiment.

    The same inspiration

    To deal with the challenges of today by giving people the tools they need to thrive tomorrow.

    To get Britain moving.

    We have great ideas

    We have the same inspirational people

    And I know we have the same determination.

    Our Growth Plan set out ten days ago will ensure we focus relentlessly on economic growth.

    Because we must face up to the fact that for too long our economy has not grown enough.

    The path ahead of us was one of slow, managed decline.

    But I refuse to accept that it is somehow Britain’s destiny to fall back into middle league status…

    …or that the tax burden reaching a 70-year-high is somehow inevitable.

    It isn’t, and it shouldn’t be.

    Conference we needed a new approach, focused on raising economic growth.

    Because that is the only real way to deliver opportunities, to deliver higher wages, to deliver more jobs, and crucially, to deliver that revenue to fund our precious public services…

    …and it is the best and only way of achieving long-term fiscal sustainability.

    Because it is only by raising economic growth that we will spread opportunity and prosperity to every corner of our country.

    With economic growth, everybody benefits.

    And I mean everybody.

    Whilst we all believe in growth

    We as Conservatives also believe, it is an important principle that people should keep more of the money they earn.

    I don’t need to tell you that. That isn’t radical. That isn’t irresponsible.

    It is a deeply held belief that we all share as Conservatives.

    We were faced with a 70-year high tax burden,

    … we were confronted with low growth

    … and the path we were on was clearly unsustainable.

    So that’s why we are cutting taxes for working people.

    That’s why we will reverse the National Insurance hike on the 6th November.

    And that’s why we will bring forward the 1p cut to the basic rate of Income Tax by one year.

    And that’s why we will take 200,000 people out of paying Stamp Duty altogether.

    Taken together … this is what our support will do for all our people.

    Thanks to our energy intervention, a typical person in a semi-detached property will save £1,150 on their energy bills this winter.

    On top of the £400 discount.

    And if they are earning an average salary, they will benefit from an additional tax cut of around £400.

    That is almost a TWO-THOUSAND-POUNDS saving this year alone.

    But I can be frank, I know the plan put forward only ten days ago has caused a little turbulence.

    I get it. We are listening and have listened.

    And now want to focus on delivering the major parts of our growth package because with…

    Energy bills skyrocketing

    A painful Covid aftermath

    War on our continent

    A 70-year high tax burden

    Slowing global growth rates

    And glacially slow infrastructure delivery:

    We couldn’t simply do nothing.

    We can’t sit idly by.

    What Britain needs more than ever is economic growth…

    And a government wholly committed to economic growth.

    That is why we will forge a new economic deal for Britain…

    …backed by an ironclad commitment to fiscal discipline.

    More businesses. More jobs. Higher pay. More money for public services.

    Because we cannot have a strong NHS without a strong economy.

    We can’t have good schools without a strong economy.

    We cannot fund our Armed Forces without a strong economy.

    So growing our economy should be our central and guiding mission.

    With this plan, we are aiming for two and a half percent annual trend growth.

    We have done it before, and we can do it again.

    And even in the face of extreme volatility in global markets…

    …with major currencies wrestling an incredibly strong US dollar…

    …and longer-term trends from demographic change to climate change…

    …we will show that our plan is sound, that it is credible and that it will increase growth.

    That is our pledge to the people of this country.

    However, there is an immediate challenge facing not just our country, not just our people, but the whole of Europe…

    The high cost of energy driven by Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

    Cast your mind back just four weeks ago.

    We had dire warnings of extreme energy prices to come.

    Corner shops to heavy industry predicted unprecedented disruption.

    Business groups feared mass unemployment.

    Entire livelihoods were on the line.

    Make no mistake, this was a very real prospect for our country.

    So, within 48 hours of taking office, we announced one of the most significant interventions ever conceived by the British state…

    Annual energy bills of up to £6,500 from next year were staring us in the face.

    Everybody was worried.

    Now, we are holding down the price at an average of £2,500.

    Not just this winter like the Labour Party promised… but next winter too.

    Two years of significant taxpayer support to protect our people.

    Because THIS government will always be on the side of those who need help the most.

    For our businesses too, Conference, help is on its way.

    A local pub could save £3,100 a month, cutting their bills by 40 per cent.

    And we have also frozen Alcohol Duty!

    Make no mistake, this is a monumental support package to protect millions of families and businesses from devastating price hikes unleashed by Vladimir Putin.

    There is no doubt that this is a substantial intervention, but we had no choice.

    Doing nothing was simply not an option.

    We couldn’t just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

    The price of inaction would have been far greater than the cost of the scheme.

    We will deal with the short-term shocks caused by Putin…

    But we must also go for growth to ensure we are much more self-sufficient.

    We will tackle the mistakes of the past to ensure the UK can NEVER again be blackmailed by people such as Putin and his like.

    When Covid hit our shores, we were right to intervene to protect lives and livelihoods.

    And I can say – in all sincerity – that we went into that crisis in a much better position because of the action we have taken over the last decade.

    Because of successive Conservative governments, the UK now has the second lowest debt to GDP ratio in the G7.

    And throughout this urgent endeavour of ours to protect Britain from high energy costs… and in response to…

    … the urgent need to grow our economy… we have taken the appropriate action.

    Our entire approach will be underpinned by a strong institutional framework, which enhances growth in our country…

    …including our independent Bank of England and Office for Budget Responsibility.

    We will have a strong fiscal anchor with debt falling as a proportion of GDP over the medium term.

    That is the Conservative way.

    But today, we face new challenges.

    And in addressing those challenges, we will act in a fiscally sustainable and responsible way.

    That is why, shortly, we will publish our Medium-Term Fiscal Plan setting out our approach more fully.

    It will set out how we plan to get debt falling as a percentage of GDP over the medium term.

    And I have asked the OBR to publish a full economic and fiscal forecast alongside our Medium Term Fiscal Plan.

    There is no path to higher sustainable economic growth without fiscal responsibility.

    Conservatives have always known this and we know it still.

    And it is because we are Conservatives, that we must remain absolutely committed to being serious custodians of the public purse.

    This is what defines us – and separates us from the Labour Party

    But conference, to grow the economy we really do need to do things differently.

    We know that it is our towns and cities which drive much of our economic growth today.

    Business investment, skills, science and technology, infrastructure, housing, energy supply, strong financial services…

    …these are the key ingredients for higher economic growth and well-funded public services.

    I had the great privilege of being Business Secretary for nearly 2 years.

    I visited every corner of this country.

    I saw the creativity, the drive, the entrepreneurial spirit.

    We have to celebrate our entrepreneurs, our business people, our job creators, people who are taking risks…

    But I also saw where government got in the way of progress.

    My job now is to free that potential.

    This starts with Investment Zones.

    We will empower local areas to do things differently, just as here in Birmingham.

    We will liberalise planning rules, releasing land and accelerating development.

    We will cut taxes for business in these zones.

    We will accelerate tax reliefs for new structures and buildings.

    We will provide relief on investments on plant and machinery.

    We will lower taxes which stop businesses hiring and skilling up their workforce.

    That is an unprecedented set of incentives for business to invest, to build, and to create jobs right across the country.

    And it will start right now.

    Conference, we will…get… Britain… moving.

    But too often regulation holds business and Britain back.

    Stifling red tape puts up too many barriers for entrepreneurs looking to scale up…

    …there are too many rules for the small business owner who wants to take on an apprentice

    … there are too many burdens on our finance sector stopping it from investing in key projects

    And when Britain’s innovators, job creators, entrepreneurs and risk takers are held back…

    …so is Britain.

    That is why we will review, replace or repeal retained EU law holding our country back.

    We will also speed up the delivery of infrastructure and promote house building to create a true home owning, shareholding democracy.

    Unapologetically, and emphatically we will get out the way to get Britain building and on its feet.

    Over the coming days and weeks, we will forge ahead and break down the barriers that have held our country back for too long.

    On childcare, agriculture, immigration, planning, energy, broadband, business, financial services…

    Sensible, economic reforms to produce more of the products and services we need to drive down costs.

    To create jobs

    And generate higher pay and productivity.

    And when it comes to those who would hold us back, we will act.

    Pernicious strike action disrupts the lives of the British people and it slows down our economy.

    It stops children going to school.

    It stops parents from going to work.

    And it stops people from getting the vital care they need.

    Action which slows down our economy cannot be the policy of any serious party serious about growth.

    And a party which is not serious about growth, can never be considered fit for office.

    So, we will introduce important reforms to stop strike action from derailing our daily lives.

    Reform to get Britain moving.

    Conference, I am unashamedly a pro-business Conservative.

    I know that the interests of businesses and hardworking families are not in conflict. They are aligned.

    When businesses thrive, they create more jobs, they raise wages, and they contribute more for our public services.

    Rather than bashing business, we’re backing it.

    That is why we need to make our tax system simpler, more competitive and pro-growth.

    So, we will reverse the planned increase in Corporation Tax, ensuring we have the lowest rate in the G20.

    This will plough almost £19bn a year back into the economy.

    That’s £19bn for businesses to reinvest, to create jobs and raise wages.

    We will reverse the reforms to IR35 that have added unnecessary complexity and cost for so many businesses.

    We will maintain the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance, giving 100% tax relief on investments in plant and machinery.

    For over a decade, the Conservative Party has stood up for working people in this country.

    Since 2010, we have delivered:

    ● The lowest unemployment since the 1970s

    ● A million new businesses

    ● More than doubling the tax-free personal allowance

    ● We have taken 2 million of the lowest paid OUT of paying tax altogether.

    ● The National Living Wage, boosting the pay packets of the lowest paid

    ● Fuel duty, frozen for 12 years.

    ● The £1,000 uplift in Universal Credit, making sure work always pays.

    These are great achievements. Conservative achievements.

    And let us not forget…

    When this Party came into Government – we were met with the full force of Labour’s economic incompetence.

    ● ‘No money left’

    ● Taxes raised

    ● Record unemployment.

    We reversed that story of national decline.

    But even after three election defeats, they still haven’t learned their lesson.

    The Labour Party would have you believe that every penny you earn should go straight into the Government’s coffers.

    The Labour Party believe that they know how to spend your money better than you do.

    The Labour Party believe that you can tax your way to growth.

    We don’t believe that.

    We believe in low tax, high growth and fiscal discipline. We are Conservatives.

    And that’s what our growth plan delivers.

    Last week we saw a Labour Party with the same old ideas

    Renationalisation

    … empty slogans

    … and no plan for growth.

    But we as Conservatives believe in Britain.

    We love this country, our patriotism, isn’t something that we turn on and off and negotiate like the Labour Party

    It goes to the core of what it is to be a Conservative… it is an unyielding quality.

    Yes we have challenges to face.

    But our plan will take this country forward.

    We will get Britain moving.

    We will deliver lower taxes for you and your family.

    And we will grow our economy.

    I know we can achieve that goal.

    With grit, with drive and with determination

    We can meet the challenges of this new era.

    Thank you.

  • Ben Wallace – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Ben Wallace – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, in Birmingham on 2 October 2022.

    Good evening Conference,

    I am delighted to be here today in Birmingham. It’s been great to come back here since 2018. It’s been even nicer to have a musical accompaniment from the people outside who think we should gather today with a theme tune. The amazing thing about Birmingham is it’s one of Britain’s great cities and an outstanding example of the rich fabric that makes up our country. You know too often, politicians and journalists think the world stops and starts in London.

    Andy Street and his excellent team here in Birmingham demonstrate quite the opposite. And as a Lancashire MP, I am truly grateful for the work started by Boris Johnson to level up this country. I know that our new Prime Minister is equally dedicated to continue that mission.

    But as we gather today for the start of our conference, I want to start by first of all paying tribute to the late Queen. The motto of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is “Serve to Lead”.

    In it, lies the key to understanding that to be a leader, you must put your soldiers’ needs before yourself. You must be selfless. Our late Queen was the very embodiment of that motto.

    She put her subjects before herself. She put her duty to them before her own needs. The men and women of the armed forces knew that and were inspired by that.

    To know that they had a Commander-in-Chief who was truly focused on their wellbeing and their interests, while expecting the highest of standards from them, was genuinely inspirational to all those who served.

    We will all miss her greatly. In these anxious and globally unstable times, fanned by the polarising flames of social media, we all need some constant reassurance in our lives. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second was that constant.

    Another constant, is the men and women of our Armed Forces. They have been with us through all our troubles. Most recently through Covid, through the evacuation from Afghanistan, through the invasion of Ukraine and again, just a few weeks ago, on parade to say goodbye to the Commander-in-Chief.

    They always display the finest qualities and dedication to duty. Day in, day out, they defend us and our allies.

    When I took the reins at the Ministry of Defence in 2019, I undertook to reform defence to ensure that our forces had what they needed, to do the tasks given to them by Government.

    But I also drew on my own experiences, to once and for all put a stop to the “hollowing out” of our forces. For decades, Prime Ministers had wanted more, but Chancellors had wanted less.

    The result of this, for as long as I can remember, was an Armed Forces that on the surface looked fine, but inside struggled with ammunition stocks, kit maintenance, ship availability, and low living standards.

    In short, I was determined that whatever funding we got, we spent it making sure that it could deliver a ready, deployable force – well equipped, well armed and well trained.

    And with any new funding, the priority would not be shiny new toys, but fixing what we had first. Only then could we embark on funding to invest for the new and modernisation.

    So I put the challenge of being a threat-lead and modern Armed Forces at the heart of the 2020 Defence Command Paper.

    Boris Johnson shared that view and handed us the biggest settlement since the Cold War. He recognised that we needed to invest in our Armed Forces and not to manage decline.

    And Liz Truss, our new Prime Minister, has gone even further and done what will be needed to finish the job. When she was Foreign Secretary, she knew what the threats were out there and she knew the influence that Britain’s Armed Forces delivered around the world.

    But she also knew that Defence can’t live on historical reputation alone. It needed real investment and for the first time a government that would move it up their priority list.

    The Prime Minister’s pledge to invest 3% of GDP by 2030 is what we needed to keep this country and our allies safe.

    Liz Truss knows this is not a “discretionary” choice, but a necessity. The instability and insecurity we see around the world will not go away by itself.

    On Friday, President Putin illegally annexed part of Ukraine. Another European state. To accompany this occasion, he delivered another tirade at the world.

    He did this at the very moment his own poorly equipped troops, appallingly led were being routed from the East of Ukraine.

    As countries around the world condemned his actions, he attended a concert, cheered on by bussed-in crowds. Ridiculous as his homophobic, anti-West rants were, what he didn’t say was just as interesting.

    He never addressed the tens of thousands of Russian widows and mothers, whose young men were sent to their deaths by incompetent generals and because of his illegal invasion.

    Or the more than fifty thousand injured personnel he is frightened to visit. He didn’t address the charges of war crimes his forces have been involved in.

    Because for President Putin, there is no going back. His intentions are clear. He will not stop in Ukraine. He will push west. His own essays say as much.

    He genuinely believes in some Tsarist, imperialist destiny to unite the supposedly ancient people of Rus. By all means at his disposal, he seeks to pursue “ethnic nationalism” in a way we haven’t seen since the 1940s.

    Be under no illusion – he is dangerous. Ukraine says they are fighting not just for themselves, but also for us. And they are right. It is why we must stand strong beside them. It is why we must not let brutality and disregard for human rights triumph over the values of all we hold dear.

    And our response matters, because the world is watching. The question some will be asking is “does the international community have the determination, the unity and the resilience to stand up for each other and for the rule of law?”.

    Well, to date, the answer is a clear and resounding “Yes”. In February this year, the day after Russia’s invasion, I held the first international donor conference on Ukraine to coordinate military aid.

    We had 25 countries in attendance from across Europe. That rapidly grew to 35. And the aid to Ukraine is not shrinking, it is growing.

    Last week, I visited Ukraine again to see what more we can do. Despite the attacks, they are strong and they are winning.

    I am proud to say that British weapons, like the NLAWs, are helping to make a real difference. But as well as British hardware, we are helping with our training as well.

    We committed to training ten thousand Ukrainian troops this year and we are supported by Danes, Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Dutch, Canadians, Estonians, Lithuanians and New Zealanders all here delivering for this challenge.

    I am pleased to say that we are committed to training, next year, a further twenty or thirty thousand troops, as required.

    President Putin must see the folly of his invasion. His army is broken, his international reputation is shattered, and Russia’s standing in the world is lesser than it was. His errors are strategic.

    Instead of discouraging NATO, he has pushed Sweden and Finland to join it. No one made them, but seeing Russia’s behaviour changed the long-standing positions of two countries who for decades were wedded to neutrality.

    I am delighted they are now joining NATO. But how unnecessary his invasion has been and at a cost of huge suffering to all in Ukraine and wider.

    But Putin’s reactions are wider than just Ukraine. His reach goes further. This week, we saw the “mysterious” damage inflicted to the Nordstream pipelines.

    And it should remind us all how fragile our economy and infrastructure is to such hybrid attacks. Our intent is to protect them. Our internet and energy are highly reliant on pipelines and cables. Russia makes no secret of its ability to target such infrastructure.

    So for that reason I can announce that we have recently committed to two specialist ships with the capability to keep our cables and pipelines safe.

    The first Multi Role Survey Ship for Seabed Warfare will be purchased by the end of this year, fitted out here in the UK, and in operation before the end of next year. The second ship will be built in the UK and we will plan to make sure it covers all our vulnerabilities.

    We have no time to lose. The Prime Minister is determined to invest in defence, stand up to Russia, stand by Ukraine, and prepare us to face the threats for tomorrow. The reality is that we can’t afford NOT to invest 3 per cent of GDP in defence and our Prime Minister understands that.

    To not do so would imperil our security and risk having Armed Forces out of step with their peers – and more worryingly out of step with our enemies.

    Conference, I know times are tough and up and down Britain, people are struggling with the effects of global inflation and rising interest rates. Sadly, we are not alone in this. Across Europe and the G7, the cost of living is going up and up and service personnel are no different.

    That is why this year I have rolled out free “wrap-around childcare” for all in the forces. It is why I have frozen the daily food charge for our personnel and capped rent increases at 1 per cent for service families. If we don’t look after the people in our Armed Forces, the most important equipment of all, then what is the point of having our Armed Forces?

    As well as helping with the cost of living, the Ministry of Defence is one of the key drivers of economic growth across the UK.

    We support 219,000 private sector jobs with more than £20bn of investment in equipment and support every year.

    Here in the Midlands, in Telford, we are making the new Challenger 3 turrets and Boxer armoured vehicles. In all, Defence spending contributes over 400,000 jobs in this country, right across the Union.

    We are building ships in Scotland, manufacturing armoured vehicles in Wales, and assembling the, now world-famous, NLAW anti-tank missiles in Northern Ireland – bringing new jobs, investment and opportunities to every part of the United Kingdom.

    There is more to do.

    Conference, for those who think that the solution is to turn to Labour however, I would say that now is not the time to deploy Captain Mainwaring and his platoon to help with our Nation’s defence.

    You can see the Labour Party now – Captain Keir Mainwaring, marching around his bunker in Islington, with Sergeant “Blair” Wilson whispering in his ear, and Private “Corbyn” Godfrey telling us how “DOOMED” we all are.

    But you know, Mr Starmer, investing in Defence and supporting our troops requires a lot more than waving a Union Jack. You have to actually fund them.

    You have to actually recognise that as the threat changes, so must the investment. In the world we live in today, there is no place for Labour’s “Home Guard” amateurs.

    So, Mr Starmer, when will you match the Prime Minister’s pledge of 3% of GDP by 2030? Will you put your money where your mouth is?

    And before I end, I want to pay tribute to my team at Defence. I have been incredibly lucky as Secretary of State to have had such excellent Ministers.

    I want to thank Jeremy Quinn, Leo Docherty and Suzanne Webb for the work they have done.

    And I am sorry to see Johnny Mercer leave the Government.

    But I also want to welcome Sarah Atherton and Alec Shelbrooke to their posts. They will do an outstanding job.

    Our PPSs Ian Levy and Mark Eastwood are also key and are valued contributors to the team. For that is what it is… a team in Defence.

    So, Conference, whatever the world may throw at us in the next few years, and no one says it is going to be easy, you can be sure that this team, alongside the UK’s Armed Forces, will be working day and night, across the globe, to defend us and keep our allies safe.

    Thank you very much.